Category: Feature Reviews

This post is not the write up you would be generally used to as we normally shower you with food photos and share our culinary adventures. But recently I was invited by Smiles of Melbourne to experience an in-chair teeth whitening session and so I thought I would share my experience with you. All that eating and drinking can take a toll on our teeth and so I decided to check it out!

I’ve never done teeth whitening before so was quite curious to how it would work. Upon entering the Smiles of Melbourne clinic in Toorak, I was warmly greeted at reception and asked to fill out a form with my personal details on an iPad. I was also given a bottle of water with my name on it. Cool! Not long after, I was greeted by their principle dentist, Dr Georgy who took me into their treatment room.

Dr Georgy was quiet spoken, polite and very thorough when he talked me through the process. He was very patient with my questions and went through a list of things to ensure I understood the treatment. Then I sat back in the chair and a plastic apparatus was placed in my mouth to keep my front teeth exposed. They ensure to cover everything else such as my lips, gums, cheeks etc. and even placed some Vaseline on my lips to keep them from getting dry and chapped. They then put this gel on my teeth and place a light over it for two sets of 15 minutes.

I learnt that the whitening works by opening up the pores in the teeth and then it breaks down and takes out the stains on the teeth. So surprisingly it doesn’t artificially whiten or leave anything behind on the teeth or damage the enamel. For half an hour I pretty much lay there and had a bit of a nap. Someone came in every few minutes to check up on me and make sure I was fine. Before I knew it, the treatment was done. I was asked to rinse my mouth with water and was pre-warned that my teeth might feel quite dry at the start but that it would eventually go back to normal. For me personally, my teeth didn’t stay dry for very long at all and after a few hours it felt normal again.

When I first looked at them in the mirror I noticed some white patches on some of my teeth but was told that they would eventually disappear. They were right because about 24 hours after the treatment I could see they looked whiter and the patches were gone. I was also pleased that it didn’t look too artificially white and it looked very natural. I’m not sure if it’s quite clear in the photos but I’ve taken a before and after photo of my teeth (please excuse my natural crooked smile!).

Before treatment

After treatment

What I also noticed was that it was quite visibly whiter after the 24 hours. It was hard for me to tell straight after the treatment and the photos probably don’t show it as well but Davin noticed it straight away when he saw me. They also explained that the whitening can last from about 6 – 12 months but of course it’s all about how much you look after your teeth, i.e. brushing it regularly and avoiding dark liquids such as coffee, tea and red wine particularly in the first 4 days after treatment.

I also got an email and a couple of follow up calls following my treatment to make sure everything was okay. I thought the whole experience and process went very smoothly. I felt really comfortable and their focus on customer service really shows with the thorough consultation and regular follow ups. I would certainly consider coming back if I ever want to have my teeth whitened again particularly for a special event.

I absolutely love cheese popcorn. Ever since my first packet of cheese popcorn in primary school, I’ve been hooked! Throughout the years I’ve eaten numerous brands of cheese popcorn, and I’ve also seen these brands come and go. It reached the stage where it was getting extremely hard to even find a packet of cheese popcorn in my local supermarket. I had almost given up hope on finding good quality cheese popcorn until I accidently stumbled into Thomas Dux Grocer on Bridge Road, Richmond, Melbourne.

Sitting on a big shelf inside at Thomas Dux Grocer were an assortment of Cobs Popcorn. I had never had Cobs Popcorn before. The packets proudly state that it’s all natural and nothing artificial. The packaging was also beautifully presented and genuinely looked like a premium product. Whilst the packaging looked good, I was quite skeptical of how good it would taste because cheese popcorn was generally full of colouring and flavour enhancers. Nice tasting popcorn with no artifical colours and flavours? SIGN ME UP!

I quickly snapped up a packet of cheddar cheese flavour, and got back to the car. I handed Helen the car keys and told her I needed a moment to try out this popcorn. She wasn’t overly happy about having to drive but this cheese popcorn needed my undivided attention. I opened the packet and was greeted with a pleasant cheddar cheese aroma. I popped one in my mouth, the crunch and flavour was just perfect! This was the cheese popcorn I’ve been waiting for all these years. Now I’ve tried Garrett Popcorn before, which many claim to be the best popcorn in the world. Whilst the initial 20 popcorns or so were really nice, the cheese flavour simply got too intense for me after that. Also I found myself needing to drink a considerable amount of water afterwards.

The Cobs cheddar cheese popcorn was nothing like that though. Each popcorn is perfectly coated with just the right amount of seasoning and definitely not too salty at all. It was enjoyable from the first to the last popcorn. Also because it’s all natural, I didn’t find myself scrambling for water afterwards from thirst. Another important thing which I’ve noticed with Cobs Popcorn is the low ratio of unpopped corn kernels. I’d be lucky to find 1 or 2 unpopped corn kernels whereas with some brands you’d literally find at least 10-20, no exaggeration! It’s never a nice experience biting into an unpopped corn kernel so I’m extremely happy with Cobs Popcorn’s quality control.

Whilst I am biased towards the cheddar cheese flavour, all their other flavours taste just as good! I highly recommend the sour cream and chives and nacho cheese flavours also. Helen’s personal favourite is the slightly salted, slightly sweet flavour. Whichever flavour you choose, you can’t go wrong with Cobs Popcorn. You can pick up the 100g packets for around $3.50 AUD to $4.50 AUD depending on where you shop. The Cobs Popcorn website has a list of stockists.

Alternatively just order from their website for $3.50 AUD each as they also offer free delivery (Within Australia and minimum purchase of 6 packets). My advice would be to purchase them off the website and enjoy with a good movie at home. I am also guilty of sneaking a packet or two into the cinemas… =)

Chobani yoghurt seems to be all the rage these days. Before trying Chobani yohgurt out, I had been on a bit of a drought because the Greek style yoghurt I was previously buying from Aldi seems to have been discontinued. I was itchin’ for some nice Greek style yoghurt to be reintroduced into my life and boy did Chobani deliver!

I tried the passion fruit flavour first. I did the trademark lick from the bottom of the lid, this was good stuff! As all the fruit was underneath, I was pretty much trying plain Chobani yoghurt. Plain Greek style yoghurts are generally an acquired taste and don’t taste very good but Chobani was quite nice indeed. It had the perfect ratio of tangyness and sourness. The passion fruit at the bottom was very good too. I recommend mixing it all up as the passion fruit can be a little sweet. I also tried the mango flavour which wasn’t very nice, it was way too sweet for me and I didn’t find it enjoyable at all.

My recommendation is definitely to buy the plain fat free Chobani yoghurt and add your own fresh fruits. Some of my favorite combinations include adding strawberries/blueberries or simply just enjoy with blackberries. One blackberry per one big scoop of Chobani yoghurt is simply heaven! I also like to add fresh mango in, when they’re on special of course.

The plain fat free Chobani yoghurt not only goes well with fresh fruits but it’s seriously healthy too! 10.2g of protein per 100g, ranks it as one of the highest-protein yoghurt ever. It’s also really low in carbs (4.2g per 100g) and sugar (3.8g per 100g). Whilst the yoghurt itself is low in sugar, be mindful of the natural sugars you’re adding in from the fruits.

I normally buy the biggest tub (907 grams) as it works out cheaper and I know I can get through it in a week. I like to have some Chobani yogurt in between meals or after a nice workout sometimes. To me it’s guilt free indulgence and I definitely prefer the taste compared to a protein shake.

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About Us

Hello! We’re Helen & Davin from Melbourne, Australia. Welcome to our blog! A few things we love most in this world are food, travelling, our family and of course our cat Sky. Whilst Sky may not have an appreciation for good food, nor travelling to the vet, we love to travel and enjoy the finest foods locally and internationally.